Volunteers Create And Maintain Bike Trails At Moon Lake Park

Written by Bill Wellock

PLYMOUTH TWP. — When the formerly county-owned Moon Lake Park became the property of the state, Meghan Martin wondered what would happen to some of her favorite mountain biking trails. It’s the place where she learned to ride and still one of the best places around to practice the sport she loves. She decided to see what she could do to ensure they’d remain a part of the new, state-owned version of the park. Martin, 25, of Dallas Twp., contacted the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to learn more about the transition and to volunteer. In October, she started the Moon Lake Trail Crew. She’s been out nearly every week since then, mapping existing trails and planning new ones with a dedicated group of volunteers. She’s even made the group’s logo, an astronaut holding a shovel and standing on a little moon. She started riding during the end of the county’s ownership of the park, when funding for the site ran low. She and her boyfriend sometimes brought along chainsaws to clear trees that had fallen across the trail as they learned the sport. “That’s how we got started learning there, and I love that park so much, and that’s why we ended up doing maintenance ourselves,” Martin said. Now she’s part of the latest chapter in a special place in the local mountain biking community. A haven for biking Moon Lake Park has had mountain biking trails for years. Lee Curry, 57, of West Pittston, was building trails in Northeast Pennsylvania and had already earned state certification as a trail builder when he and a friend turned their attention to Moon Lake. A park manager agreed to let them construct some trails, as soon as they finished clearing off some service roads that were blocked by fallen trees. “That was like our test,” he said. They passed, and they started building. That was at least 10 years ago, Curry recalls. His friends and other local mountain bikers joined in the volunteer work. People turned out for a Wednesday night ride that went off in freezing temperatures and on days when the temperature cracked 100 degrees. “I think maybe one of my favorite stories is when I would be up there riding and people would come along who didn’t know me and they would say, ‘Oh did you hear? There’s a new trail. Somebody built a new trail over here.’ And I’d say ‘ Oh really? Well, tell me about the trail.’ And they’d tell me about the trail that we just built. And we would just act like we didn’t know any better. But just to see the smile on their face that they’re having a great time on this trail,” Curry said. “Yeah, good stuff.” DCNR wants to improve the existing trail system for mountain bikers and other types of recreation that use the trails, such as walkers and runners. “We feel it’s already a mountain biking destination. We just want to make the facility cleaner and more efficient,” said Chris Layaou, a DCNR forester who has been working with the group. Sunday morning On a Sunday morning in February, eight people in the Moon Lake Trail Crew rendezvoused at the entrance to the Moon Lake State Recreation Area before setting out for the day’s task, mapping the trails “Screamer” and “T-Rex 2” and considering new routes the trails could take. Temperatures above 60 degrees earlier that week had melted much of the snow, leaving the familiar paths easily visible on the forest floor. DCNR wants the trails away from roads and campsites, so the group was looking for alternate routes. Now that the park is owned by the state, the process for adapting the land is more by-the-book than during the end of the county’s tenure, Martin said. She starts the process of planning a new trail by looking at a topographic map for possible routes. Then the group visits the site to view it up close. The crew rambled through the landscape and plotted a possible course through a field to adjust an existing trail that ran close to a campsite. They planned a route that headed through the field and toward a stone wall. The group’s first thought was to send riders on top of the stones for about 150 feet. Martin tied a ribbon around a tree to mark the location for the new path, orienting the knot to better show where the trail was meant to go. But the rock wall needed work before bicycles could ride across the entire thing. A new idea took hold: Sending riders over the top of one part of the wall and down the other side. Soon, a new ribbon went up and the original one came off. The discussion and consideration of different routes was a major part of the work. Each suggested twist of a potential new path provoked opinions about the best way to go. “We walk the trail, look at it and say ‘This looks good.’ And we kind of look to the left and the right and say, ‘You know what? That looks even better,’” crew member Dan Falkowski said. As they considered a new twist, the group’s members studied the slope of the land and visualized how a bike would handle it. Among the small group of enthusiastic mountain bikers, there were a variety of opinions about the best type of trail to ride. Uphill, downhill, technical or not, all had their supporters. One way mountain bikers accommodate all the different styles and abilities of riders is to include multiple options on a single trail. One path will take a more skilled rider over a feature like a boulder and the other fork, called a “go-around,” will take an easier path. Moon Lake is a big park, with about 30 miles of mountain bike trails now, Martin said. When the group’s work is finished, there will be 40 to 50 miles of trails. That size helps offer trails to suit a range of skill levels. Once the group marks its routes with ribbon, Martin will come back later to walk the proposed trail with a GPS device. She’ll send that data to the state, which sends foresters to approve the general route. They’ll watch for things like endangered animals or a trail that meanders onto private land. Once they hear back, the group can begin building new trail. The actual, foot-by-foot path is set during that trail building. For example, if there’s a gaping hole in the middle of the proposal, they might shift it a few feet to the side. Bit by bit, the work proceeds. Martin has already sent information for two trails to DCNR, and the group is continuing its work. Soon, they’ll by back to clear paths and break ground. Then comes the best part — getting on the bike to ride. “It’s a lot of work,” crew member Larry Stearn said, “but it’s worth it.” Contact the writer: bwellock@citizensvoice.com 570-821-2051, @CVBillW